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Cornes’ urging for Horne-Francis after foot mishap
Andrew Slevison • November 11th, 2025 9:44 am
Jason Horne-Francis will undergo a planned procedure to have a plate removed from his foot after a slight mishap on Monday.
The Port Adelaide star suffered a fracture in his foot late last season and was initially set to have the plate removed later this year.
But in a bid to allow him to train without ongoing irritation, the procedure has been brought forward so he can return to training ahead of Christmas.
Horne-Francis was at Alberton for the first official day of pre-season training on Monday, hobbling off the training track and pointing to his left foot prior to Port’s statement on his situation.He later told Channel 9’s Braden Ingram that he “went to take off and heard a pop in my foot" but says it "didn't feel like the plate or bone”.
Cornes admits it is never ideal to have your pre-season interrupted on day one.
“It’s never good when you hear a pop in your foot. I thought it was the navicular bone or something crazy like that,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.“It’s probably best case after seeing him hobble off the track. It’s not ideal to have your pre-season disrupted.
“Now the injuries are starting to somewhat build up for Jason. He’s had the nasty hammy, he’s had the foot, and with the way that he plays, he’s always going to be prone to collision injuries.
“This disruption is not dire by any means but it’s an inconvenience.
The condition of the 22-year-old had SEN Breakfast co-host Sam Edmund wondering.
“This is not my go normally but the first thing I thought of when I saw it, I had to send a message out, ‘Is it just me or did he look a tad heavy?’,” Edmund pondered.
“I think the Hornet looked a tad heavy.”
Cornes replied: “You think the Hornet has returned to pre-season training overweight?”Edmund added: “Overweight? Not at supreme condition is how I would phrase it. Is that just me or am I being unfair?”The situation prompted a back and forth between Edmund and Cornes with the latter thinking about the future of the sublimely talented former No.1 draft pick.
The Power great wants to see Horne-Francis do everything he possibly can to give himself every chance of becoming a superstar.
Cornes: “This is where he needs to be, he needs to get ripped. But he has never looked ripped, he’s always looked a bit chubby.”Edmund: “He’s had the foot issue so maybe he hasn’t been able to do the kms, but he just looked heavier than I would have expected.”Cornes: “I’ve only seen the one clip and he didn’t look in supreme condition.“I don’t think he looked fat or overweight and I’d love to see him with his top off to have more evidence, but I don’t think he looked in supreme condition.”
Cornes, the Port 300-gamer, premiership player, four-time John Cahill Medallist and two-time All-Australian, knows what it takes to make it at the top.
“I don’t ever give an injury as an excuse as to why you can be overweight. There are so many things you can do to keep fit even if you are injured,” he said further.
“If you are non-weight-bearing get in the pool. Can you ride a bike? Can you get on the Ultra-G treadmill which de-loads you so you can still get the cardio workout? Can you eat better? Can you get in the gym?
“Being injured is never an excuse.
“My urging for Jason would be the same as Harley Reid - you can be as good as you want, you can be Dustin Martin good, or you can be Jake Stringer good? It’s up to you.
“It will be up to him of course. Jason’s level has already reached a pretty significant height being in the All-Australian squad (in 2024).
“But if he wants to be one of the greats then that is up to him.”
